After serving for three years as the Clearview School Division secretary-treasurer, Lewis Hill is leaving in July to work in his home province of British Columbia.
Hill has accepted the position of secretary-treasurer with School District No. 22 at Vernon, effective Aug. 1.
“It’s always been a desire to move back to B.C.,” Hill said Monday. “Most of the family is on the west coast.
“When the opportunity presented itself to move to the Okanagan, we decided to take a look at it.
“My wife and I always thought the Okanagan would be a nice place to retire. We just landed there a little sooner.”
Hill and his wife, Cindy, have three grown daughters, all of whom live in Alberta — in Red Deer, Lacombe and Edmonton.
He came to Stettler after a five-year stint as chief financial officer with the Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills.
“I appreciated Lewis being with us,” said Clearview chairman Ken Checkel. “Secretary-treasurer positions are hard to fill. We were happy to find Lewis.”
“I appreciated his work and his sense of humour. I wish him well.”
The Vernon school division serves 20 schools with a student population of 8,000 students, about three and a half times that of Clearview, Hill said.
He said he expects his new school district will deal with similar challenges as those facing Clearview, regarding the declining enrolment.
Hill said that 15 years ago, Vernon had 11,000 students and has seen a steady decline since.
“There are a lot of similarities, only on a larger scale,” he said.
Hill ranked a highlight of his time in the Clearview central office was the opportunities he and superintendent John Bailey had to visit schools.
“Sometimes we lose focus why we are here,” he said. “Interacting with the kids has been a highlight. It’s been great. It helped me get my mind focused.
“Hutterite colonies were a new education for me. I never experienced being a part of that group before.”
The Clearview division has a “phenomenal staff,” Hill said.
“I haven’t worked with a better group of people. “The principals, staff and everybody are very concerned about the students. They are a great staff.”